I started a time lapse project a year ago in which I took a photo of this flower bed each day and I really didn’t miss many days except for travel or a rare memory lapse. It was a lot of fun to see the slow change of this patch of land outside my front door. But I must admit, my enthusiasm has fizzled and I won’t quite make a year. This is why: not much changes anymore except that the snow has now covered all the landmarks you see above. It can be quite depressing. This has been one of the most brutal winters I can remember. It has not just been all the snow, but the cold has been exceptionally bad too – very cold temperatures that last for weeks!

So, it is February and there are glimmers of hope like a bit more light, birds singing in the mornings that aren’t below zero (there are a few), and 30s predicted for the end of the week. I’ve decided to anticipate. I will plant seeds! Basil and kale can definitely be started now. It will be a breath of fresh air.

This girl and her friends have been making appearances in our woods behind the house for several days now. They have just awoken to falling snow which has put a dusting over their bodies. That fur must be very insulating that their body heat doesn’t melt the snow.

What joy to watch them grazing on dry grasses and frolicking a bit to get the blood moving! It’s a bit dark, but its the best I could do in the early morning dim.

This large green grasshopper greeted me along my way hiking in Switzerland. I’m sure he was congratulating me on completing a very hard ascent and descent of the Fenêtre d’Arpette of the Tour du Mont Blanc. I had to stop and admire his gorgeous green with black accenting. He actually had big expressive eyes for a bug!

One of the things I love about hiking in the alps is the wonderful contrasts of enormity and the diminutive. I am a slow hiker partly because I am overwhelmed by the environment and I cannot rush through it. A hike here is not just a good workout in nice surroundings to me, but rather a chance to really step outside of normal life and lose myself in a place.

While in North Dakota a week ago I was asked what there is to see in Milwaukee. I think there are several reasons to come to the city, but the Quadracci Pavilion by Santiago Calatrava is definitely my favorite and probably the most recent reason for the city to achieve international interest.

The building is breathtaking from outside as seen here with the brise soleil closed in the morning. And the magnificent wings opening to greet the expansive waters of Lake Michigan is something to see.

Here it is opened just a few minutes later. This was quite a feat of engineering. I remember when it was in the design phase and there was a lot of concern about how to make this structure sturdy enough to withstand the wicked winds and snows that come off the lake.

But then, to enter and experience this structure from inside, well, it moves me. It provides such peaceful spaces filled with natural light. Going to the museum to experience the art is a treat, but just approaching, entering, and experiencing this building makes it a very special day, no matter when I go.

It’s no wonder we get visitors from the world over who want to see this sculptural building for themselves. North Dakotans, yes, it’s worth a trip to Milwaukee, if only for this!

A special thanks to William McCluskey for sharing his photography for today’s post.

Corn processing on the prairie. Probably getting it flaked for cattle and hog feed. Sad that we feed these animals what they were not designed to eat. This makes them sick their whole lives and less edible to us. All these grasslands, why not just let the animals roam? I love the lines of the plant against the blue sky, though.

With single spacing in honor of Timthepoet – The easy way!:
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